Strategies to Curb Overeating and Improve Health
Key points:
Whether ultra-processed or nutrient-dense, overeating isn’t good for your health.
Overindulging isn’t a mere matter of willpower, it can be biology, boredom, habit, or a coping mechanism.
A few small but meaningful changes can help you consume precisely what your body requires to thrive.
Improving your nutrition isn’t only a matter of what you eat, it’s a matter of how much you eat. Even nutrient-dense foods such as fruit must be consumed in moderation. But let’s face it, when we overeat, we’re often eating fried, high-fat, high-sugar, and ultra-processed foods. Here’s how to curb overeating to improve your whole-body health.
The Top Causes of Overeating
1. Biology
2. Boredom
3. Emotional eating
4. Habitual eating
5. Social eating
6. Skipping meals
1. Biology
One of the reasons GLP’s are so effective is that they regulate hormones. This includes regulating insulin and glucagon to lower blood sugar, ghrelin to minimize food noise, and leptin to help you feel fuller faster.
There are other biological factors that can contribute to your food cravings, which is why it’s important to maintain your annual physical. The remainder of the items on this list are linked to behavioral changes, but if biology is working against you, you may not be able to quiet your cravings and food noise.
Tip: Stay Hydrated
Thirst is often mistaken for hunger, and adequate hydration also helps regulate hormones. Drinking 8 ounces of water 20 minutes before a meal or snack helps you feel fuller faster.
2. Boredom
Learning how to curb overeating isn’t only a matter of willpower. When you’re bored, eating gives you something to do to pass the time. So, identify other activities that don’t include eating.
Take a walk, read a book, video chat with a friend, complete a puzzle, or do something creative. Be mindful that gaming on your phone and binge-watching TV shows and movies may not be engaging enough to keep boredom-eating at bay.
Tip: Prepare an Elaborate Meal
Preparing something complex is mentally engaging and takes a lot of time. And when you’re done, you can enjoy the reward of the meal you prepared.
3. Emotional Eating
Consider if stress, anxiety, grief, frustration, and other strong emotions increase your hunger cravings. Even joy and other positive emotions can lead to “happy eating”. The first step is identifying your emotional eating triggers so you know how to respond.
Tip: Find Your Tribe
Building a healthy support system gives you people to lean on when emotions are high. This can include friends, family, found family, and a coach or therapist.
4. Habitual
Habitual eating refers to times and places where you always eat certain things. For example, what you always eat at the movie theater. Or maybe you take an afternoon walk to a coffee shop where you order coffee and a pastry. Getting out of the office is healthy, but the pastry and late-in-the-day caffeine are not good for your health or sleep patterns.
Tip: Plan Ahead
You may still indulge at the movie theater but be mindful of portion size. Order the small popcorn instead of the large. Or a single ice cream bar, not the pint. During your afternoon walk, order decaffeinated coffee or tea with one of the café’s healthy snack options.
5. Skipping Meals
We all miss a meal occasionally when busy, but skipping meals to reduce your caloric intake often backfires. It leaves you so hungry that you overindulge the next time you eat, or you give in to ultra-processed foods.
Tip: Prioritize Balanced Nutrition
Diet culture is centered on calories. Mindful nutrition focuses on the content and quality of your meals. This is key because what your body needs is unique to you and changes in each season of life. Instead of focusing solely on calories, focus on the micronutrients and macronutrients in the foods you choose.
Macronutrients are protein, carbs, fiber, and healthy fats that fuel your body.
Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals that regulate core bodily functions.
6. Social Eating
Whether it’s dinner at a friend’s house, hosting friends, or dining out, portion sizes are likely to be large. Sharing food is an essential part of maintaining and expanding your tribe. It’s how many of us show we care. This can make maintaining your nutrition challenging as you don’t want to offend the host by not eating everything on your plate.
Tip: Plan Ahead
Make group meals your weekly splurge meal, but still be mindful of how much you eat. When eating in restaurants, decide how many courses you’re going to indulge in before you arrive.
When dining at someone else’s house, ask if you can plate your own food. Or ask the host ahead of time to be mindful of your portion size.
Skip the pre- and post- meal snacks, appetizer, and dessert, as those are often the bulk of the calories, sugar, fat, and ultra-processed ingredients.
Chat with people every few bites. This will slow down how fast you eat. It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to communicate to your stomach that you’re full, so slowing down helps.
A Dietitian Can Teach You How to Curb Overeating
Most of us aren’t taught the core foundations of nutrition at home or in school, and diets promote deprivation. My approach is to help you transform the foods and flavors you love into healthful options. Unlike deprivation diets, I turn to science-based strategies that energize you physically and mentally.